Electrical Engineering, Bachelor of Science Degree

Overview

A degree in electrical engineering prepares students to develop solutions to urgent problems in areas such as power, communications, computing and networking.

Electrical engineers work with electromagnetic fields and electricity for use in communications, biotechnology applications and electronic circuits. The core of electrical engineering is the ability to work with sensors, acquire data, communicate electronically, process signals and information, model complex systems, and integrate various sources of energy in distributed systems.

Areas of emphasis

You have the option of choosing to pursue your electrical engineering degree with an emphasis in either renewable energy or biomedical engineering.

Renewable energy: Students pursuing this emphasis take the same required courses as all other electrical engineering majors, but they focus on energy-related topics for their senior year technical electives.

Biomedical engineering: Students pursuing this emphasis are required to take three additional introductory courses in biology and chemistry, but they have fewer technical elective requirements, which must include coursework in biochemistry and biomedical engineering.

What Will I Learn?

The bachelor's degree program focuses on giving students depth of knowledge, breadth of knowledge and professionalism.

Our graduates are able to apply specialized knowledge in the practice or advanced study of electrical engineering, including scientific principles, rigorous analysis and creative design.

Additionally, graduates develop a broad range of knowledge, including information on the most important current issues in electrical engineering, for productive careers in the public or private sector or for the pursuit of graduate education.

Finally, our graduates are able to communicate clearly and work ethically in teams in a complex modern environment. Graduates will engage in life-long learning to adapt to changes in the requirements of their profession.

Degree Requirements

In addition to core curriculum requirements, electrical engineering student take courses in engineering communication, math and science, and engineering science and design.

Students also complete technical elective requirements, typically during the senior year. Electives allow you to focus on topics that interest you, but all students must have at least one course from the following five elective areas:

Communication

Control

Electronics

Electromagnetics

Power

Additionally, students can take electives in computers, although this is not required.

Areas of emphasis

If you choose to complete an area of emphasis in either biomedical engineering or renewable energy, you may have alternate technical elective requirements. See the Course Catalog for specific elective classes.

Capstone requirement

As seniors, all electrical engineering majors take two capstone classes where they apply knowledge gained during their degree program toward the design and creation of an industry-relevant electrical engineering project.

Credit for internships

Up to three units of internship credit may also be applied toward the degree.

Fundamentals of Engineering Exam

Students must also take the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination administered by the Nevada Board of Professional Engineers. The FE exam is generally taken during the spring of your senior year. Register for ENGR 490 in order to have the exam recorded on your transcript.

Recommended schedule

You can view the recommended sequence of courses for your emphasis on the course catalog. Please note that requirements and course offerings may change, and you should consult your advisor to ensure your course schedule meets your individual needs.

Searching the General Catalog

The University maintains all of its official academic information in the General Course Catalog. When visiting the General Course Catalog, users are recommended to use the search box in the upper-right area of the website. It is also helpful to narrow your search using the following options from the drop-down menu:

Entire Catalog: This option will perform a keyword search over all information in the catalog.

Courses: This option will perform a keyword search over the names and descriptions of individual courses offered by the University.

Programs: This option will perform a keyword search over the names and descriptions of degree programs offered by the University.

Hierarchy Items: This option will perform a keyword search over the names of University units, including colleges, departments and centers.

Career Options

Electrical engineers wear many hats today, thanks to the wide range of fields that call on their expertise. With communications, computers, networking and systems playing key roles in the operations of virtually all businesses, electrical engineers are critical to maintaining and developing the systems that support our society.

Career opportunities for electrical engineers include jobs such as the following:

Communications equipment design

Electric power generation and distribution

Electronics

Image and signal processing systems

Instrumentation design

Design and development of renewable energy sources

Optical and laser system design

Robotics design

Sensor design

Additionally, electrical engineers generally enjoy solid earning potential. Electrical engineering majors had median earnings of $85,000 in 2011, according to a report from Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce, making them one of the top-earning majors for bachelor's degree holders.